this is a two term project - to get started I would like to connect an angular sensor to drive the base motor on the owi 535 - just slide the sensor back-and-forth laterally and observe the arm base rotation response.

Also, the connection into the arm is an 8 pin flat ribbon cable with a 21mm x 5mm box end connector (female) - do you have tools or cables or connectors to recommend? The arm currently works by simple double-pole mechanical switches that connect each motor to either a plus or minus 3 volts for cw/ccw rotation.

Thank you for your response, I would like to purchase the components from adafruit needed to get started.I meant back-and-forth simulating a sensor gyro or accel on the human-operator's arm, located approximately on the bicep near the should rotating the base of the robot arm. Do you recommend an accel or gyro for the actual sensor located on the human-operator's arm. Should I have a gyro/accel for both horizontal and vertical rotation of the shoulder-to-elbow linkage?

Does the arduino mega allow for future upgrade to wireless operation?

The arm is currently powered by 4 'D' cell batteries and the mechanical double-pole switches - doesthe current/voltage to the motors have to be directly driven from the mega and H-bridge chipshttps://www.adafruit.com/products/807 doesn't recommend for 3V motors (which I have)"Good for motor voltages from 4.5V up to 36V! This wont work well for 3V motors. The motor voltage is separate from the logic voltage."

Do you have any suggestions for connecting to the arm through the 8 pin flat ribbon cable or directly to the 8 pin connector on the arm?

Thank you for the info. I learned a lot already - the motors are being driven directly from the motorsto the motor shield and the ribbon cable connector is bypassed. At least for now this solves connecting through the ribbon cable connector.

I am looking at a part from pololu http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/2130 drv8833 that claims to "deliver 1.2 A per channel continuously (2 A peak) to a pair of DC motors. With an operating voltage range from 2.7 to 10.8 V" it only costs $7 and would suffice for one motor rotating the base. Do you think it a better idea than 3) An Adafruit Motor Shield ($19.50) ? I will have to drive all 5 motors eventually - the instructable says the motor shield only drives 4 motors.

Is this an acceptable choice for the microcontroller - does it include future wireless compatibility?can handle 3 to 4 input sensors (2 or 3 gyros and a pressure sensor to close gripper) and 5 motor control signals output?1 Arduino Mega would be a good microcontroller to use. https://www.adafruit.com/products/191Arduino Mega 2560 R3 (Atmega2560 - assembled) - Mega! do the XBee radios just plug in?

Is this enough to get me started - gyro, mega, drv8833? do I need any battery power supplies to power the arduino?

I am looking at a part from pololu http://www.pololu.com/catalog/product/2130 drv8833 that claims to"deliver 1.2 A per channel continuously (2 A peak) to a pair of DC motors. With an operating voltage range from 2.7 to 10.8 V" it only costs $7 and would suffice for one motor rotating the base. Do you think it a better idea than 3) An Adafruit Motor Shield ($19.50) ? I will have to drive all 5 motors eventually - the instructable says the motor shield only drives 4 motors.

I'm sure the Pololu driver will work. I don't know what library support there is for it. You would have to ask Pololu about that.

Is this an acceptable choice for the microcontroller - does it include future wireless compatibility?can handle 3 to 4 input sensors (2 or 3 gyros and a pressure sensor to close gripper) and 5 motor control signals output?1 Arduino Mega would be a good microcontroller to use. https://www.adafruit.com/products/191Arduino Mega 2560 R3 (Atmega2560 - assembled)

Yes, The Mega should handle all that. The Gyro is a 3-axis gyro, so you only need one module to handle the full range of motion.

Thank you for your help,purchased one of each: Order Number is: 198436

Are there any things you can recommend for accessories? like serial adapter cables? usb adapters?do I need a 3 Volt power supply battery pack to drive the motors? what is the 'library support' you refer to for the motor driver drv8833?

I have arduino software installed in win 7. I've done some embedded asm language programming in the EE course lab, but nothing with robotics and arduino's. Do you recommend any s/w,tutorial or reference sources?

A standard USB cable will be sufficient to communicate between your computer and the Mega.

do I need a 3 Volt power supply battery pack to drive the motors?

There is about a 1.2v drop through the drive transistors in the L293D H-bridge chips. For 3v motors, you will want a power supply in the 4v to 4.5v range.

what is the 'library support' you refer to for the motor driver drv8833?

Adafruit provides an Arduino library to simplify programming for our motor shield. I don't know if Pololu has any software for their motor drivers.

Do you recommend any s/w,tutorial or reference sources?

Ladyada's Arduino tutorials are a good place to start. http://www.adafruit.com/tutorialsWe also have specific tutorials for most of our products (The gyro tutorial should be ready soon). Just follow the links in the product description.

Do you know anywhere on the web I can find a schematic or wiring diagram showing a gyro connected to an arduino connected to a motor driver and/or motor? I haven't been able to find a sensor-> processor-> actuator schematic.